The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus, such as, a personal computer, being so-called a desktop-type or a notebook-type, or a server, etc., and in particular, it relates to an electronic apparatus having a liquid cooling system therein, being able to cool down a heat-generation element mounted within an inside thereof, such as, a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC), effectively with an aid of a liquid refrigerant or coolant, as well as, the cooling system thereof.
In order to maintain a normal operation thereof, cooling is necessary for the heat-generation element, such as, the semiconductor IC element, being mounted within electronic apparatuses, including personal computers, being so-called the desktop-type and the notebook-type, as well as, a server, etc., and in particular, the heat-generation element, such as, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), as a representative one thereof, for example. For this reason, conventionally, such the cooling is achieved generally by using a heat transfer element, being so-called a heat sink that is formed with fins thereon, as well as a fan, being provided for sending a cooling air thereto. However, small-sizing and high integration of such the semiconductor IC element, such the heat-generation element as was mentioned above, in recent years, brings about the localization of heat generating at a portion thereof within the heat-generation element, and also for this reason, attention comes to be paid onto a cooling system of a liquid type of using the liquid coolant therein, such as a water, for example, being high in the cooling efficiency thereof, in the place of the conventional cooling system of an air-cooling type.
Namely, with the liquid cooling system of being high in the cooling efficiency thereof, which is used in the personal computers, so-called the desktop-type and the notebook-type, and also the server, etc., as is known from the following patent documents, for example, in general, an element being so-called by a heat-receiving (or cooler) jacket is mounted on the surface of the heat-generating element, i.e., the CPU, directly, while conducting the liquid coolant within a flow passage formed within the heat-receiving jacket, so as to transmit or convey the heat generated from the CPU to the coolant flowing within the jacket mentioned above, thereby cooling down the heat-generating element with high efficiency. Further, in such the cooling system of the liquid-cooling type, normally, a heat cycle is made up with the cooler jacket, as the heat-receiving portion thereof, and in more details thereof, it comprises a circulation pump for circulating the liquid coolant mentioned above within the cycle, so-called a radiator, being a heat-radiation portion for irradiating heat of the liquid coolant mentioned above into an outside, and further a coolant tank provided in a part of the cycle depending on the necessity thereof. And, those are connected through a tube made of a metal and/or an elastic material, such as rubber, or the like.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-304086 (2003);
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-22148 (2003);
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-182797 (2002);
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-189536 (2002); and
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-188876 (2002).
However, with such the conventional arts as was mentioned above, in particular, with the cooling system of the liquid-cooling type being high in the efficiency thereof, which is used in the personal computers, so-called the desktop-type and the notebook-type, and also the server, etc., as was mentioned previously the circulation pump, being provided in a part of the heat cycle for driving the liquid coolant, is normally only one (1) piece, and therefore, in a case when this circulation pump is in trouble due to any reason, it is impossible to circulate the coolant within the heat cycle building up the cooling system. In such the case, the heat-generation element, i.e., the CPU, comes to be high in the temperature thereof due to the heat generation of itself, and it falls down into the so-called thermal runaway, or the thermal breakdown depending on the cases, thereby causing a trouble or/and stoppage (or stall) of the apparatus. However, for the personal computer, with provision of such a means for detecting the trouble or failure of this circulation pump, thereby warning a user of the trouble detected therewith, through such as an alarm lamp or the like, for example, it is possible to avoid the trouble/stoppage of the apparatus due to such the trouble of the circulation pump, through letting the user to stop the operation of an apparatus once, so as to repair the pump in the trouble or to exchange it with a new one.
However, in such the case, it is necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus, once, in spite of the condition of the job, by turning OFF the electric power source thereof, etc., therefore it causes troublesome for an operator who is in the condition of using the personal computer. Furthermore, in particular, for such the apparatus, being represented by the server, for example, since it is connected with a plural number of computers, always, therefore there is a problem that the apparatus cannot be stopped, immediately, even if such the trouble happens as mentioned above occurs in the circulation pump.